Why George School Moved Its Annual Report Online. Only Online.
/ Andrea LehmanChosen because many schools wrestle with how much energy and expense should be allocated to developing the annual report and they should be distributed. George School figured out what worked for them, and saved money in the process.
Many schools are considering shifting print publications online to save money and resources but are worried that they will lose readers and impact. To avoid that, George School's communications team took a two-pronged approach to announce its new online Annual Report. They emailed the community, notifying them of the change and providing a link to the report. They also sent out a well-designed, coordinating trifold (pictured) designed to pique interest and drive recipients to the web.
What's great about the trifold:
Readers love numbers, statistics, and lists. They provide information quickly in a fun, easy-to-digest form. And the interior of the trifold continues the numerical theme with "10 REASONS TO READ THE ANNUAL REPORT ONLINE."
Those 10 reasons pose questions that can only be answered by going online. You might just be curious enough about "what brought 534 alumni together over the course of 18 months" to find out.
Colors and caps make key phrases pop. Some, such as the URL and "digital devices," promote the ease of access. "Environmentally sustainable" underscores an important part of the school's mission ("faithful stewardship of the earth"). Likewise, the statistics chosen, referencing topics from service to diversity, are careful reminders of what distinguishes the school. Even though the trifold is "only" an announcement of an online publication, the communications team did not let a marketing opportunity pass them by.
The content and scope of the Annual Report, which includes articles about the year's events and achievements, donor lists, and donor profiles, did not change, and the intended audience of donors, alumni, parents, and faculty and staff remained the same. The only thing different was the delivery method, with great results.
"FEEDBACK WAS STRONG AND OUR CONSTITUENTS FOUND THE MESSAGING AND DESIGN INTRIGUING ENOUGH THAT MORE THAN 4,500 OF THEM VISITED THE PUBLICATION ONLINE."
The trifold "allowed us to reach the hands of every intended recipient and provide them with a link to access the publication online—while significantly lowering our cost and environmental impact," says Susan Quinn, director of digital communications. "Feedback was strong and our constituents found the messaging and design intriguing enough that more than 4,500 of them visited the publication online. Ultimately, the piece saved over $20,000 in printing and postage costs and an unknown number of trees."
As a precaution, George School did digitally print 100 hard copies of the report to be used in admissions and fundraising and provided to those profiled and to anyone who requested it. Only a handful did.
Results are so positive that George School not only plans to release next year's Annual Report digitally again, but also to test an online edition of its magazine.
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